This year I went to The Horse of the Year show with a cyber buddy that I have 'known' for nearly 14 years yet only actually met for the first time last Wednesday. It was totally awesome!!!
It's a funny show because every year I go with every intention of total equine immersion yet I inevitably seem to spend more time chatting with the people I bump into and shopping than actually watching horses! We were there for all of Friday (9am until 11pm - and we slept in my Landcruiser in the carpark, lol!) and a good portion of Saturday. I managed to see the classes I really wanted to see which were the Clydesdale classes on the Saturday morning and I am now all enthusiastic about taking Meg along next year. Pretty sure we can definitely more than hold our own in the ridden section, although the in-hand section would be anyone's guess as that is very much down to the judge of the day and his/her preference for type. In particular I did enjoy watching tiny Emily Stroobant and Erewhon Bert together - Utterly gorgeous! The low light of the show was learning that one of the mares being shown had lost her foal to colic overnight. I think I spent about an hour in tears, especially whilst watching the mare and foal class and seeing the owner reduced to tears when the announcer explained the reason the mare was being shown with no foal at foot and watching the beautiful sweet mare as she watched and nickered to the foal that the other competitor in the class was showing - It was just complete tear your heart out stuff.
I took a few hundred photos and will share a random selection ...
It's a funny show because every year I go with every intention of total equine immersion yet I inevitably seem to spend more time chatting with the people I bump into and shopping than actually watching horses! We were there for all of Friday (9am until 11pm - and we slept in my Landcruiser in the carpark, lol!) and a good portion of Saturday. I managed to see the classes I really wanted to see which were the Clydesdale classes on the Saturday morning and I am now all enthusiastic about taking Meg along next year. Pretty sure we can definitely more than hold our own in the ridden section, although the in-hand section would be anyone's guess as that is very much down to the judge of the day and his/her preference for type. In particular I did enjoy watching tiny Emily Stroobant and Erewhon Bert together - Utterly gorgeous! The low light of the show was learning that one of the mares being shown had lost her foal to colic overnight. I think I spent about an hour in tears, especially whilst watching the mare and foal class and seeing the owner reduced to tears when the announcer explained the reason the mare was being shown with no foal at foot and watching the beautiful sweet mare as she watched and nickered to the foal that the other competitor in the class was showing - It was just complete tear your heart out stuff.
I took a few hundred photos and will share a random selection ...
Shetland Pony Grand National
Wow! Excellent photos Lou! Sad about the foal! :(
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